Closing means for journal-box lids



Oct. 15, 1929.

L. w. HOSTETTLER CLOSING- MEANS FOR JOURNAL BOX LIDS Original Filed Nov. 24. 1922 2 31 55 41 Oct. 15, 1929. L. w. HOSTETTLER CLOSING MEANS FOR JOURNAL BOX LIDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed NOV. 24. 1922 FISH-1.

11v mew roe w/r/vasses k Patented Oct. 15, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j LEIGH -'W. HOSTETTLER, OF TAEENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ALLEGHENY STEEL COMPANY, OF BRACKENRIDGE, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA onosme MEANS FOR JOURNAL-BOX mos Continuation of application Serial No. 603,003, filed November 24, 1922. This application filed March it,

This invention relates to journal boxes and more particularly to improvements in jour-.

and when closed is so arranged that the pressure it exerts is applied to the center of the lid in such manner that the lid will seat it-.

self on the top as well as the bottom and sides of the lid opening.

A still further object of this invention is to provide? a journal box lid and closing means therefor which may be applied to journal boxes now commonly used without any particular fitting whereby such variations as occur will be accommodated and a full seating of the lid on the entire journal box face assured. A'still further and more specific object of this invention is to provide a journal box lid of the hoodless type and closing means there-' for by means of which the 11d opening of a journal box may be completely closed even though relatively great'clearances exist between the lid scrolls or between the hinge pin and the boxing pin-hole or both.

These objects, as well as others, I attain by means of the device described in the specification, illustrated in the drawings accompanying the same and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of a hoodless type ofv lid and a spring actuated device therefor embodying this invention;- 1

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the device illustrated in Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4 are views takenon the longitudinal center line of the lid'and illustrate the method of springing the tensioning through and beyond the opposite en box lug 10.

Serial No. 623,668.

member of the lid-closing device into operativeposition; and

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the llCl and a portion of a journal box taken on the longitudinal center line of the lid and shows the lid in open position.

In the drawings I have shown the invention in connection with a pressed metal lid and a standard A. R. A. journal box. This s done, however, without any idea of limitmg the invention to a p'ressed metal lid or use with such a journal box.

The lid, as illustrated, is provided with a fiat surface 7 adapted to bear evenly on the flat faces 8 defining the lid opening of the ournal box. The journal box is rovided w th a box lug 10 having the usual at angularly disposed hearing or cam faces 11 and 12.

The lidproper is provided withs aced scrolls 14 which are preferably rein orced by means of reinforcing ribs 15 as shown in Patent No. 1,425,093, issued to me on August 8, 1922, and the scrolls are also preferably provided with hinge pin retaining ears 15, as shown in Patent No. 1,425,092, issued to me on the same day.

The lid scrolls are elongated perpendicularly to the generalplane of the lid proper and embrace the hinge pip which dprojects s o the he clearances between the scrolls and hin e pin are relatively great as clearly showny full lines in Fig. 2 of the drawin s and by dotted 1i. es in Figs. 3, l

' and 5 t ereof.

The lid is provided with a depending guard flange 17 and with a projectin lip 18 by means of which it may be lifte or opened. It. is also preferably reinforced or stifiened by means of de ressions 19 which are pressed into the li during its formation.

The lid closing means or device includes a spring 20, a springretainer or tensioning member or stirrup 21 and an anti-friction roller 22. While the spring forming part of he lid-closing means may be of various orms, the one illustrated is provided with two coils 23 located on op osite sides of the median line of the lid and aving a common major axis which is parallel to the hinge pin Eli axis. The spring is formed from a singlepiece of wire of suitable cross section and its coils'are joined at their inner ends 24 by means of a connecting portion 25 which is substantially straight from end to end. The outer ends 20 of the coils are longer than the inner ends 24 and are bent one toward the other.

The outer ends of the spring are covered by means of a retaining plate 29 secured to the lid by rivets 30. The lid beneath the retaining plate is provided with a depression within which the ends'ofthe spring lie. The depressions and retaining plate serve to provide a pivotal connection between the spring and the lid. Anti-friction roller 22 is pierced to receive the cross connecting member 25.0f the sprin and the roller is threaded onto the spring wire before the wire is bent to form. The retainer 21 when in operative position not only serves as a retainer, but also as a spring tensioning member. It is formed so as to fit the outer portion of the spring coils 23 and is supported from the hinge pin by strap members 34 which are pierced to receive the hinge pin and which lie between the inner ends of scrolls 14 and the adjacent ends .of'the box lug. -.Tl1e retainer is mounted on the hinge pin independently of the lid proper lid in closing is allowed free movement; .The

and when forced into operative position, causes the spring20 of the lid closing device, (when thelid is in closed position) to exert "its pressure at the center of the lid in such manner. that the lid will seat'itself evenly on the top, bottom and sides of the box face even though relatively great clearances exist between the lid scrolls and the hinge pin or between the hinge in'and the box lug pin-hole or both. As he ore stated, relatively large clearances between the lid scrolls and the hinge pin are'provided in .order to insure the even bearing of the lid on the top, bottom and sides of the box face even in those cases where the hinge pin is out of line.

When the lid is in closed position, antifriction roller 22 bears on hearing facev 11 of the box lug and when in open. position, on

hearing face 12. When the lid is moved from one' position to the other, the roller 22. rolls on the bearing faces. Since the bearing face 11 which is substantially 'flat, stands atv a slight angle to the plane of the box face, the

roller 22 rolls down the inclined face andthus prevents drag between the lid closing device an 1 the box lug, assuring maximum-spring action on the'lid when the lid is in closed position.

By reason of the elongated scrolls (which provide relatively great-clearances perpendi'cular to the general plane of the lid) and the action ofthe lid closing device, I provide aself-fitting lid having a center pressure spring aetion,-thatis a lid'in which the s ring action is exertedat the center of the id as distinguished from the lid closing'devices which tend to lift or pull the upper part of the lid away from the top of the box face.

In order to apply the lid and its closing means in the field, a tool 36 resembling a short pinch bar, is provided by means of which the retainer or tensioning member 21 may be readily forced into position in the manner graphically illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

After the lid with lhespring 20 attached thereto is placed in position on the journal box, the straps of the tensioning member 21 are inserted between the lid scrolls and the box lug and the hinge pin is inserted through the lid scrolls and the straps. By means of the tool 36 th tensioning member 21 may then be forced into position over the spring coils. v

This application is a continuation of an application filed by me on Nov. 24, 1922.

It will be understood that various forms and types of springs maybe used without departing from the spirit of this invention and the spring tensioning member may, of course, be varied to suit the type and form of spring used.

Having thus described my invention, what I plaim is 1. The combination with a journal box having a standard A. R. A. box lug, of a hinge pin extending through said lug and beyond the ends thereof, a lid having elongated scrolls surrounding said pin on opposite sides of the lug and spaced therefrom and a spring device for applying a substantially equally distributed yielding pressure against the outer face of the lid adjacent its center; said spring device having a central portion there-- of bearing on the box lug, another portion thereof operatively positioned in the outer face of the lid adjacent its center and two other portions surrounding the hinge pin and located between the ends-of the box lug and the scrolls.

2. The combination with a journal box having a hinge pin lug, of a lid hinged to the lug, a lidclosing spring at one end operatively engaging the outer face of the lid. and at the other end operatively engaging the lug, and

tensioning means for said spring pivotally connected to the lug and engaging said spring intermediate its ends.

' 3. The combination with a journal box having a hinge pin lug, of a hinge pin extending beyond said lug, a box lid mounted on said pm, hd closing means at one end operatively positioned in the outer face of the'lid intermediate its top and bottom edgesand tensioning means for said lid closing means mounted on said pin and engagin said lid closing means intermediate its emi.

4 The combination with a journal box, of a hinge pin extending through the lug thereof, a lid having hinge .pin enga ing rtions engaging the hm e pin with re ative y great clearances, a lid c osing agent at one end operatively engaging the lid adjacent its center 7 and at the other end terminating adjacent the box lug an anti-friction member interposed between the box lug and the adjacent end of said agent and a tensioning member for said agent mounted on the hinge pin and arranged to engage said agent intermediate" its ends.

5. In combination with a journal box provided with 3. lug having a plurality of bearing faces, of a lid for closing said box and provided with scrolls located on opposite sides of said l'ug, a pin for pivotally connecting said scrolls to said lug, spring means at one end attached to the outer face of said lid and at the other end terminating adjacent said lug, an anti-friction roller carried by said spring means and interposed between the box lug and the adjacent end of said spring and a tensioning member for said spring means carried by said pin and arranged to bear on said spring means intermediate its ends and on the opposite side thereof from said lid.

6. In combination witha journal box, a hinge pin extending through the box lug, a pressed steel lid having scrolls surrounding the hinge pin on opposite sides of said lug, a spring at one end bearing against the outer face of said lid near its center and at the other end terminating adjacent the box lug,

a bearing member between said lug and the adjacent end of said spring and a'tensioning member bearing against said spring on the opposite side thereof from said lid and'connected to the hinge pin'on opposite sides of said lug and between the same and said scrolls.

7. The combination with a journal box and its box lug provided with a pluralit of angularly disposedabearing faces, of a id hinged to the box lug, to the box lug on opposite sides and provided with a spring portion operatively positioned in the outer face of the lid at one end and coopgrating with said bearing faces at the other en 8. The combination with a journal box having a hinge pin lug, of a pin within said lug and projecting therefrom, a lid mounted on said pin, a tensioning member mounted on said pin and a lid closing spring held in place by said tensioning member nd bearing against the lid and lug and constructed and arranged to on the box.

9. The combination with a journal box, of a hinge pin extending through the lug thereof,

yieldingly hold the lid to its seat a lid having hinge pin engaging portions engaging the hinge pin with relatively great clearances, a lid closing agent at one end operatively engaging the lid intermediate its top and bottomedges and at the other end terminating adjacent the boxlug, an anti-friction roller carried by said a ent and bearing on said lug and tensiomng means for and a lid closing device hinged the ends of said lug, a lid for closing said box formed to engage said'pin on opposite sides I of said lug, spring means at one end bearing against the outerface of said lid near its 'center and at the other end being supported by one or the other of said bearing faces and a stirrup mounted on the hinge pin inde endent of the lid and constructed so as to e capable of being forced into position on the top of said spring means intermediate its ends.

11. In combination with a journal box provided with a box lug having a plurality of bearing faces, a lid for closing said box provided with extensions located on opposite sides of said lug, apin for pivotally connecting said extensions to said lug, a spring at one end bearing against the outer face of said lid and at the other end terminating adjacent said lug, a bearing roller threaded onto said its center and at the other end terminating adjacent the box lug, a roller bearing member between said lug and the adjacent end of said spring and which is threaded onto said spring and a stirrup bearing against said spring on the opposite sidethereof from said lid and connected to the hinge pin on opposite .sides of said lug and between the same and said scrolls.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sub- 

